Writers In Conversation

On Thursday (25th) night I listened in on the "Writers in Conversation" lecture with professors Amy Weldon and Rachel Faldet. Each professor shared excerpts from their own writing.

Amy read passages from her novel-in-progress, giving us character voices and plot development. She was very animated and seemed to really connect her own life to her characters. She re-visited memories from her life, and then based different scenes on those memories.

Rachel shared a finished work she had written about her camping experiences throughout her life. She quoted from old journals and used humor throughout the piece. She also read from a work-in-progress essay about her dead sister-in-law.

I personally enjoyed Rachel's memoir experiences and style of writing more than Amy's.

The two of them have worked together for the past 3(+/-) years, critiquing each others work, and talking out ideas. As they talked about how helpful having an encourager alongside their work was, I was reminded of how all our lives should be. We should always have someone, and encourager, a friend, standing alongside us. Then we can always be encouraged and pushed to go farther. We can have someone to bounce ideas off of.

Lions For Lambs

On Sept. 15th we watched the movie "Lions For Lambs". Here is my reflection:

TEACHING:
The professor in the movie was a truly passionate person. He didn't seem to really care about the subject matter he was teaching really, but about who was learning. I believe his stance on teaching is truly noble and admirable. He was selling students to themselves. He wanted students to see all the real potential they had, to do great things. Any teacher I have ever had that has truly taken an interest in my learning style, and in my own abilities, has changed my educational experience and respect for authority. I do not believe you can ever go too far as a teacher, pushing your students to do their individual best in life.

LISTENING:
The student intrigued me. He obviously had respect for this professor, and he knew a lot about the subject matter. But for some reason he was falling off the map, switching his priorities around, and starting to lose belief in himself. You could see in his eyes and in his fight, that he had a difficult time hearing his professor give him such kudos. As weird as it sounds, it is hard to hear good things about what our full potential could do, because it shows us just how lazy we really are.

POLITICS:
The movie really struck an angry chord with me. I was upset with the senator for not looking bad on previous mistakes, and for gloating in confidence. It made me hate the naive state of mind our country continues to play in. I was upset at the popularity contest politics has truly become. But then again, what am I doing about it? I don't ever read the newspaper or watch the news. I live in my own little bubble, choosing not to understand or change anything. So I really don't have a say in the matter, I shouldn't even be allowed to be upset about it.

The movie also struck a passionate chord in me. As I was watching it, I was inspired to be that professor, to engage with students and push them to their limits. But then as I walked away from class that night with a friend, we talked about how easily that inspiration and passionate falls away. We get pumped up during the movie, but then walk away and never really try.

Overall it was a great movie, with history, politics, and education all mixed into one.

welcome to the world of blogs

Hello! My name is Kelly Jo and I have created a blog for my Educational Psychology class. I will be putting my thoughts down about different class discussions and articles. Enjoy!